Seoul sistah
Hello from Seoul!! Have now landed at Seoul airport and am now sitting in the First Class lounge of Korean air (somehow got upgraded but alas, only have 10mins to pretend I belonge here before I've to board!). Fortunately the pilot turned out to be a good aim - the runway strip seemed to appear out of the ocean from nowhere, just you were convinced he was about to try and land this puppy on water! The view was stunning - again, my pics dont really reflect how gorgeous it was, but the sunset was a stunning red-orange which bathed the lush and verdant Korean mountains below. It's a shame I wont get to explore more (and the rules of my country collecting are very strict in saying that airports dont count!!) but I think this is a part of the world that I'm very likely to come back too, so maybe next time.

As you'd expect, Seoul airport is very clean and its people are VERY short!! The only people I'm not towering at least a foot over are the other tourists! Now I know how Gulliver felt! OK - gotta run, time for Phase 2 of the Incredible Journey awaits.....

Are we there yet?
I’m finally off!! Did most of my last-minute leaving chores yesterday night, so only had a couple bits and bobs to do before heading off at 10am – until, that is, Izzie very helpful hacked up an unbelievably large quantity of Whiskas kibble onto the duvet. So an emergency trip to the basement laundry was needed – there’s just no way I’m coming home to THAT after 2 and a half weeks! What the hell is it with my cats and my bed? Are they trying to tell me something?? Why don’t they just write me a note?

Anyway, despite the cats best efforts to throw me off my schedule (I think they were conspiring to try and prevent me from leaving), I managed to leave the apartment on time at 10am, allowing plenty of time to get to JFK for my 12.50pm flight. It was a bit busy leaving Manhattan but we got to the Midtown tunnel fairly smoothly, but then a few mins later, we pretty much stopped, prompting the following internal dialogue: “Oh bugger….. Traffic…... Well its OK – no problem…… I’ve got plenty of time……... Hmm.. this traffic is really bad, but its still OK……… Oh no, its started to pee it down with rain – this isn’t going to help. ...... I wonder what’s going on anyway……. OK… I hope this clears soon…. Its starting to get a bit tight now…. No, don’t panic…. There’s nothing you can do about it…. Stay calm, it’ll be OK…..GET A BLOODY MOVE ON!!! COME ON, PEOPLE!!!...... *breathe*… I wonder if my insurance policy covers this?.....Oooh – what are those flashing lights ahead?....OK – hopefully see whats going on in just a minute…...IS THAT IT?? …A whole bloody lane closed off to park a truck in??... No spectacular pile-up or shedding of lorry’s loads? ….What is this world coming too?......OK traffic moving now…..Phew… I think I’ll still make it…”

After all of that, I was 5mins later than originally planned arriving at the airport.

So am flying with Korean Air, out of JFK’s Terminal 1 and I’m usually here waving Mum off, as it’s also the terminal for Turkish Airlines too. But, this time, its just me, my very unbusinesslike backpack and camera tripod ready to take on the world! I’m flying to Ho Chi Minh City via Seoul – the first flight being 14hrs long, the second another 6hrs. I’m due to land in Saigon at about 10.20pm local time and hopefully there will be a little man with my name on a sign waiting for me to take me to my hotel in the city! Checked in all fine at the desk (so my Vietnamese visa has at least past first muster!) and went straight through airport security as there were no lines. Am pleased to report there are still some residual effects of the Obama lovefest that engulfed the city yesterday – as my rucksack was going through the security X Ray machine, one of the security guards exclaimed “Hey, an Obama pin!” prompting smiles all round. And eye contact again. Usually, you share eye contact with an airport security officer, the next thing you know you’re bending over a table listening to the sound of latex gloves being snapped on. Apparently.

First time flying with Korean Air on business class and have to say am impressed so far. Was a bit concerned, given they are code share partners with Delta that it all would be a bit crap, but its actually very nice. Am writing this about half way into my 14hr flight to Seoul and so far its been a very pleasant experience. The seats are pretty roomy, I’ve already managed to get some sleep so am feeling peachy and my personal mission to eat as many forms and types of Asian food (non-moving) I can over the next 2 and half weeks has already started!

For lunch, had this traditional Korean dish called bimibibap (or something) and it came with a little instruction sheet to tell you how to construct the dish! I can actually boast a little here and say that I already knew what to do - I’d been to a little Korean place on my street called Do Sirak (see – I was taking my training for this trip very seriously!), so already knew about the “dump it in and stir it up” concept! It must be great to be a kid in Korea – its part and parcel of the dining experience to play with your food! The meal also came with this great pair of silver chopsticks that are totally going to get added to my airline flatware collection on my return journey! (alas, no teaspoon yet!). However, I’ve also discovered that (unlike my Aer Lingus trip!), the Koreans don’t have a heavy hand when in comes to the inflight beverage service as I’ve just had the tiniest glass of champagne I’ve ever seen! I didn’t know champagne came that small! The hostess also passed me over initially for a glass of port with my cheese too – I’m thinking “not so fast honey, I’m paying for this ticket out of my own pocket so it intend to get my full money’s worth!!”

But so far, so good. Also lucked out with the guy sitting next to me – very nice chap called Yves who also happens to be a pilot. Result!!! Means my totally uncool and irrational fear of turbelence can be happily set aside for this flight – if he’s not worried, I’m not worried! If, though, he does start to look uneasy at any stage of the flight, at least I’ve now written my will!

Just been fed again. Korean beef stew this time and very tasty.

And – hey! – I can see Russia from my window! (does this mean I’m now qualified to run for public office?)

Flight path is quite interesting – leaving New York, we flew over the Finger Lakes (hello, my old campsites and crap wineries!), up past Chicago and over the Great Lakes. I then fell asleep, so by the time I woke up, we were flying over the Artic Circle. As you’d expect, very white, lots of snow and lots of disturbingly large looking cracks in the ice. I think we are truly all buggered by global warming. Currently we’re now flying over Russia – I’m trying to take some good pics but, as any photographer knows, it’s almost impossible to get the focus right but, even if they’re a bit blurry, you’ll get the general idea. The landscape below reminds me a lot of Patagonia – very desolate and empty but hauntingly beautiful.

OK – enough of this. Time to check out the inflight entertainment. Next time I write, I’ll probably be in Saigon! Whooo-hoo!!!

The wait is almost over!!....

After months of waiting and slowly building excitement, its almost over.  No - am not talking about the election this time (although I can't stop grinning today!) but my uber-trip to Indochina!!  Have just about finished all my preps - the washing, packing, cleaning, emptying out the fridge, taking out the rubbish, stocking up on cat food and cat litter, so all I have left to do tomorrow is a little last bit of work before saying goodbye to the boys and heading off to the airport!!  Dylan and Izzie know that something is afoot as they've been extra clingy this evening but, as long as they don't manage to lock themselves in my bedroom whilst I'm away, I'm sure they'll get over it pretty quickly! (thanks, Conor!)

Its funny - as you already know, I travel A LOT for work and, when its a work trip, I don't usually give a second thought to what could go tits-up (other than the recurring plane crash nightmare, but thats another story!).  BUT when I'm travelling exclusively for pleasure, on holiday, I suddenly start to worry about stupid things like "I hope my ticket is OK" and "what if my Visa isn't right?".  I know its not logical and everything will be fine, but I guess you're more on your own, rather than having the work safety net to fall back on.  My only genuine mild concern is about my visas and hoping they were processed correctly - but again, I'm sure it's all going to be fine, so am trying not to worry!  

So, just an additional note on the election - walking home from Union Square last night was a very surreal experience, as complete strangers became friends and high-fived you in the street and cabbies and truck drivers tooted their horns as they drove past, matching your cheers of celebration.  The feeling persisted into today when, walking to work, again, everyone was smiling at each other, making *shock horror* eye contact  and basically behaving the complete opposite to how New Yorkers usually behave!  Everyone had somehow come together - just for a few more hours to continue to revel in the shared experience of being a part of history in the making, united by our hopes for a better future for America and the world.  

YES, WE DID!!
OMG - what a night! . I just had to register just how historic tonight has been. Tonight, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States of America. A truly, truly amazing day. After months of anticipation and nervous monitoring of the polls, he actually, finally did it. I've just got home (at 2am) after a night out with friends (and strangers!) celebrating and sharing the evening and really feel privileged to have been part of such an historic event. Walking back through Union Square, with the enormous crowds that had gathered there to chant, sing and celebrate was just amazing. I spent most of this evening in, or close to, tears - Barack's speech was so moving and profound. What an incredible night - truly one of those "can you remember

when?" type of moments!

  

Almost ready for my SE Adventure!

I am getting sooooo excited!  I love it when a plan comes together!!   My holiday is just over 3 wks away and I've already started packing - pretty much unheard of as I'm usually still doing laundry an hour before I'm due to leave for the airport!!

Anyway, all the various components of my holiday are coming together nicely.  I think I realised a few weeks ago what an endeavour this adventure is - triggering a mild anxiety attack right after I got back from Cyprus!  Actually more things to think about than I'd probably anticipated but I've made good progress in the last couple of weeks and think things are almost there!

So, flight is booked - 22hrs via Seoul (ugh!) but at least business class with Korean Air (huzzah!).  Vietnamese and Cambodian visas obtained and passport back in my possession in record quick time (thanks, Pfizer travel desk!).  Life insurance (in case I get squashed by an elephant or other Asian hazard) - done.  Travel insurance almost done (still farting about shopping for policies!).   Hotel for extra 2 nights in Saigon - booked.  Hotel for extra 2 nights in Bangkok - booked.   Transfers to and from the airports - reserved.  Cycling gear (shorts, shoes, shirts, gloves, socks, helmet) tried on and bought (padded shorts are deeply deeply unattractive!).  Only one more pair of gloves plus SPD cleats and pedal set left to get.  I'm deliberately packing light (as they helpfully reminded me in the pre-departure briefing document, its a cycling holiday, not a fashion parade!) as i'm sure there will also be lots of great stuff (silks etc) to buy whilst I'm out there!

So really, I think I'm pretty much done.  I've been training like a nutcase recently (although for some unknown reason its been a very slow week for me so far this week), so hopefully I'm not going to be the unfittest person there!  All i've got to do now is try and get through the next 3 weeks at work, try and remain focused on what I'm doing whilst attempting to contain my excitement!!  

Back home - to a surprise gift!!

So now back home in Manhattan, refilling my lungs full of fresh city air, after a lovely weekend with the gang.  Today we got up around 8am (after a night's sleep disturbed by a chirping smoke detector) and, after a little light yoga stretching to wake my body up, Iain and Rachel cooked an ENORMOUS English brekkie for everyone.  I was uber-healthy and stuck to my nice and clean oatmeal - yum!  After breakfast, we wandered into town for a mosey round - I bought a ceramic red apple for the kitchen (perfect for putting my brillo pads in!) and Rachel splurged and bought an etching (bargain at $900!).  After a soy cappuchino in town, we then headed back to the house to check out and head back to Manhattan.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous - beautifully clear and sunny, so the drive back through the Catskills was stunning, with the vibrant colours of the autumn leaves on the trees.  Felt a bit sad driving past Woodstock but I guess to be a little expected, so I'm not going to give myself a hard time or get too wrought up.

So got home about 7pm to find that the boys had accidently locked themselves in my bedroom.  God knows how long they'd been in there but i'd wager quite a while, by the squeakiness of their meows and how pissed off they were.  Dozy sods - I guess I'm going to have to start wedging the bedroom door open now too.   Started my unpacking (both from the weekend and from Cyprus!) and found that the little darlings had peed in my suitcase.  Oh joy.  But I guess it could have been worse - at least they hadnt peed on the bed.  So I chucked out the clothes they'd peed on and counted myself lucky (perfect excuse to replace my semi-knackered suitcase anyway!).  Then re-counted as I discovered that they had, indeed, peed on the bed.  Oh double joy.  So now I'm sleeping on the blow-up bed in the lounge until I can buy some pet urine remover tomorrow - I just hope it works as replacing the mattress will turn this into a very expensive little weekend getaway!!!  *sigh* 

Friends, frolics and giant marshmallow yoga in the Catskills!

So, no sooner have I got back from Cyprus, then am off again - this time for a weekend with friends in the Catskills! There are 6 of us (5 girls and 1 guy - brave soul!) and we've rented this amazing place called Turquoise Barn for the weekend. Its about 3hrs drive from Manhattan (I drove this enormous tan caravan thing but managed not to crash into anything!) and is in the heart of the forest, so we're surrounded by beautifully coloured autumnal trees.

We arrived last night around 5pm after a fairly easy drive up (although Iain and Mandeep got a bit lost in their car!) and Michelle, the owner of the place, met us and showed us around. Its absolutely gorgeous with more space than any of us know what to do with, and is all beautiful wood and rusticness! There's a river and little lake out back (along with a meditation hut - alas, a bit chilly to use right now though!) and this morning, was all covered in a thin layer of frost and looked stunning, with the mist rising up from the ground.

This morning, after Iain manfully chopped more firewood, we headed into the nearby town of Delhi for coffee, breakfast and to buy food for supper tonight. Afterward, we came back to the barn, vegged out for a bit reading the papers before finally rousing our lazy arses to go for a walk along the river. Was a bit of a slog through the quarry and overgrowth first, but we finally found the trail and ambled along quite happily for an hour or so. Found some humungous bales of something whilst walking through this corn field, thus prompting some spontaneous giant marshmallow yoga by Rach, Iain and Mandeep!

Where's the time going?!!!
It's Thursday already!! Eek!!! It hardly feels as if I've just arrived and already we're more than halfway through the week! Even though you really dont do that much whilst you're here (or at least, I don't really ever seem to!) time just slips away and seems to accelerate as you near the end of your visit...

So, having a really lovely time so far. Rachel's all loved up with new bloke Jim, Loopy and Sniper are very excited about Peanut (only 5 and a half months to go!) and its actually been really nice to get to know Sniper a bit better too this trip. Its so great to see them together, taking the piss out of one another and just making each other laugh all the time, although we had a bit of a scare yesterday when Loopy got a call from the school to say that Thomsk had been taken to A and E. Clumsy bugger had fallen off the swing at school and first we'd thought he'd cracked his skull open but fortunately, when Loopy got to the hospital, he was fine but was just winded and had landed with a thump on his back. The X-Rays were all OK, so no harm done but dyspraxia strikes again, I think!!!

Yesterday, we checked out the local market (lots of fresh nuts, fruit, local cheeses and SPECTACULARLY bad fashion) and - after the Thomas drama was safely resolved - Rach, Jim and I went up to Bellapais Abbey to have a wander round and grab a late tapas lunch. Its really beautiful up there, with stunning views over the island and out into the sea. The Abbey itself is also really impressive, very well preserved and complete with the world's own cutest ever stray puppy who kept following us around - so sweet!!

Back from the Abbey around 6pm - enough time to shower, change and head down to China Garden with everyone (including Thomas who was fully recovered!) to listen to Brian sing. Was a fun night - poor Rach and Jim were fading fast, though, so left at half time with Loopy and Thomsk, so Mum and I stayed til the end. Was great to sit and chat and listen (even though I was getting eaten alive by mossies!) - finally got home around 11.30pm.

So today, a nice quiet one, I think. Am just pootling around the villa this morning, tidying up a bit before going for a bit of tanning by the pool. Taking Mum and Loops for lunch later - maybe sushi?

Only in Northern Cyprus..... watch out for giant killer toads!!
So Mum, Loopy and I were out doing a spot of shopping this morning in Lemar, after a very nice coffee and lunch in Dukkan. As well as refamiliarizing myself with all the new variants of Cadburys that seem to have sprouted up whilst I wasnt looking, Louise and I were also amusing ourselves greatly with looking at all the crap English labelling on the kids toys. You would think that in the whole of the island, they could afford to employ just ONE person who spoke fluent English! Or maybe they do, and that person has a whale of a time coming up with such classics as
"A Pleasant Welcome Gift for Children" and "Best Manufactured Contents For Stimulation".

However, the one that really did have us both in danger of wetting ourselves, was the deluxe Police and Traffic cop set - there, in the midst of the fierce looking plastic policeman, cop cars and traffic lights, proudly sat 2 barriers that defiantly proclaimed "TOAD BLOCK"!!! Absolutely bloody priceless. Cue plenty of mental images of Turkish Cyp policeman nervously manning road barricades, gripping the barrels of their automatic rifles whilst they strain to hear for the sound of giant killer toads approaching....

If, however, you hear on the news that I have, indeed, been devoured by a hungry amphibian, Ill guess it wasnt an entertaining typo after all and the Northern Cyps will have got the last laugh!!!

Very happy bunny

Yey!! So, after the whole year planning, my Fibro Forum has finally come to a close and its been an absolutely stunning success! Am really, really pleased - especially since my boss was there! Am absolutely knackered cos its been 3 days of full-on stuff, but i'm extremely happy and so now can really enjoy my holiday with the folks and some serious chilling out!! Yey!! Cyprus, here I come!!!

WHY, oh WHY????
Does housekeeping ALWAYS knock when you're sitting on the loo???? Literally, within seconds of my arse hitting the seat, invariably there's a tap-tap-tap at the door and the cleaner instantly appears, as I'm still shouting a panicked "hold on, just a minute!!". I'm beginning to think I'm the unsuspecting victim of some international private joke amongst housekeeping staff....

Greetings from Athens!

Its a tough life sometimes. Am now in Athens for my big meeting that I've been working on all year (eek - fingers crossed all goes well!) and about to head into a 6 hour slide review meeting. Thats the bad news (or a necessary evil!). The good news is that the hotel is lovely (thank goodness - a little bit Eighties but charmingly so!), with a stunning view of the Acropolis and *drum roll, please* I have a suite!! Whooo-hooo! Usually doesn't happen (despite me being the one signing the cheque!!) but this time, Eileen came through for me so I have an big suite with separate living room, dining room and an enormous outside terrace facing the Acropolis. Just the job for sitting outside, with a gin and tonic and watching the sun set over Athens. Which basically is what Rachel is doing right now, whilst I'm stuck in slide review - relaxing in the sunshine by the rooftop pool with a dacquiri!

Life ain't so bad!

So I guess one consequence of my appalling weekend at Club Getaway last weekend is that its really led to a renewed appreciation of New York City life and its people.  OK - the men here might universally be completely crap (for one reason or another) but at least most of them are reasonably intelligent and crap, rather than the knuckle-dragging neanderthals and meatheads I met last weekend!  So, I'm smiling easier over the last few days and really relishing where I am, what I'm doing and the freedom I have to be who and what I choose and do whatever I like.  I'm so fortunate in my life and very grateful for what I have - and I'm re-energized to absolutely make the most out of living in Manhattan, whilst I'm here.  Rachel and I went out to a comedy club tonight which was great fun (one of the comedians gave me his number after the show!), and tomorrow night Niz and I are off out to Bargemusic for a bit of culchah!  A little light Mozart whilst bobbing around on a barge in Brooklyn - game on!!!  Beats Beer-Pong at CG anyday of the week!!!

Only 2 hrs to go..
..before I can get out of here and go back home! So, obviously discovered that summer camp just isnt my thing - I think it would have been different if I'dve come with someone. I also cracked and had some wine last night at dinner (this place is driving me to drink!), so have a sore head to add to the general misery! Ah well, at least I gave it a try!!